Safety glove bag and method of making same

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for use in removing hazardous material from an elongated pipe has an upper work section comprised of a sheet of flexible material having a centrally located opening and a lower debris collection and disposal bag that depends from the upper work section about the opening. Gloves are mounted to the upper work section sheet. So constructed, upon wrapping and securing the upper work section about a pipe with opposite ends thereof drawn upwardly thereto aside the opening, the work section is configured into the shape of a funnel for funneling debris worked from the pipe down into the debris collection and disposal bag.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to safety glove bags, and particularlyto safety glove bags of the type used to remove hazardous material froma pipe, and to methods of producing such glove bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Before the hazardous nature of asbestos was fully appreciated, asbestoswas widely used to insulate pipes in buildings. It is of course nowrealized that exposure to asbestos, and particularly to airborneasbestos fibers and dust, creates a significant health hazard. Theawareness of the dangers inherent in the presence of asbestos has led tothe removal of asbestos insulation, even when undamaged. As an example,quite often a potential purchaser of a building or house will requireremoval of all asbestos before consummating the purchase. Both federaland state laws require extraordinary protection for workers engaged inthe removal of asbestos containing materials. To afford such protectionwithout seriously hampering the work effort, several devices and systemshave been used.

Today glove bags are widely used in safely removing asbestos insulationform pipes. One of the first such glove bags was that one known as theAsbebag which is described in United Kingdom Patent No. 1,567,270 andCanadian Patent No. 1,188,191. It was made of two sheets of transparentplastic material with side gussets and welded seams. The top of the baghad front and back flaps that were placed about a length of insulatedpipe and held together with a sliding clasp fastener. These flapsextended laterally from the main body of the bag to provide extensionsthat were secured to sections of the pipe that straddle the section tobe stripped. Mittens extended into the interior of the bag. MatingVelcro strips and covering plastic flaps were provided to seal off abottom portion of the bag after the pipe has been cleaned and thestripped debris or lagging has been collected therein. A secondgeneration Asbebag of Petro Zarkos shown in United Kingdom PatentApplication No. 2,157,822A, was of similar shape, both being the shapesuch like that of a T-shirt formed with two sheets of plastic weldedtogether at their edges.

Another, design glove bag of Natale is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,291.It is made of a length of polyethylene lay-flat tubing with a sealedbottom and open top flaps that are wrapped about a pipe.

More recently the asbestos abatement industry has adopted glove bags ofa design that has a number of individual debris collection chambers orpouches that depend downwardly from an elongated upper section ormanifold that is wrapped about a pipe. Such a bag is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 4,901,743 of Hittler and is referred to as an extended run safetyglove bag. This type glove bag has the advantage of enabling a longsection of pipe to be stripped of insulation with a single bag where,otherwise, several bags would have to be individually mounted or asingle bag mounted and remounted a number of times along successiveportions of the pipe section.

Though the foregoing glove bags have been commercially successful, theirspecially designed shapes have resulted in substantial waste of plasticmaterial and other manufacturing inefficiencies. And though the Nataledesign is simple, being made from a length of lay flat tubing withoutlateral flaps or sleeves, it has been difficult to bunch and seal topipe lagging. Its bottom seal has also been susceptible to breachingwhen loaded with stripped lagging and water used in the strippingprocess.

It thus is seen that a need remains for a safety glove bag for use inremoving hazardous material from a pipe of simplified construction andmanufacturing efficiency. Accordingly, it is to the provision of suchthat the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred form of the invention an apparatus for use in removinghazardous material from an elongated pipe has an upper work sectioncomprised of a generally rectangular sheet of flexible material that hasa centrally located opening. A lower debris collection and disposal bagdepends from the upper work section about the opening. Gloves are alsomounted to the upper work section. By wrapping and securing the upperwork section about a pipe with opposite ends thereof drawn upwardlythereto aside the opening, the work section is configured into the shapeof a funnel for funneling debris worked from the pipe down into thedebris collecting and disposal bag.

Alternatively, several openings are formed in a row in the rectangularsheet about which several debris collection and disposal bags depend.Support means are provided for supporting the upper portion to shape itinto a row of in tandem funnels for funneling debris into the bags.

The apparatus is made by cutting one or more holes in a generallyrectangular sheet of flexible material such as plastic, mounting glovesto the sheet, and mounting bags to the sheet about the holes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus of the invention in apreferred form shown configured for mounting to a pipe.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 shown mounted toa pipe preparatory to stripping.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 shownwith the pipe being stripped of insulation.

FIG. 4 is a view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-3 following completion ofthe stripping operation and with its debris collection and disposal bagtied off.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-4 with the bagseparated from the remainder of the apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of theinvention shown configured for mounting to a pipe.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 6 shown mounted toa pipe preparatory to stripping.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 6-7 shown withthe pipe being stripped of insulation.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 6-8 with itsdisposal bags filled and tied off and in the process of being separated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now in more detail to the drawing, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4an apparatus for removing hazardous, asbestos insulation or lagging froma pipe which comprises a rectangular sheet of flexible, transparent,plastic material 12 shown folded into a U-shaped trough preparatory tobeing mounted to a pipe. The sheet 12 has a centrally-located cut-outhole 13 about the periphery of which is heat sealed an open end of atransparent, plastic, debris collection and disposal bag 14.Alternatively the hole 13 may be to one side to facilitate receipt ofintact elongated sections of lagging. A pair of gloves 15 is heat sealedto the sheet 12 above the hole 13 as is a tool pouch and access ports 16for sealingly receiving water hoses and vacuum lines.

With reference to both FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus is mounted to a pipeP covered with a layer of insulation or lagging I that is to bestripped. To do this the upper, opposed edges 17 of the sheet are loopedover the top of the insulated pipe and sealed together with a length oftape 18. The two opposed side edges 19 are then drawn upwardly, snuglyabout the insulated pipe and sealed thereto with strips of tape 20. Thisresults in the sheet 12 now being configured into the shape of a funnelas shown in FIG. 2. The apparatus is now ready for use in manuallystripping the section of pipe located therein with the sheet 12 nowproviding an upper work section of the apparatus and the bag providing alower debris collection and disposal section.

In FIG. 3 the apparatus is shown while the pipe P is being stripped ofits insulation I. With an operator's unshown hands inserted in thegloves 15 his right hand here cuts away the insulation while his lefthand aims a water hose H at the pipe while a vacuum is applied viavacuum line V. As this is done pieces of stripped insulation or laggingare washed down the funnel-shaped upper section and into the debriscollection and disposal bag 14. Finally, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thetop of the bag is tightly bundled closed and secured tightly with a wrapof tape 22 and then severed free from the upper section. The upper worksection is then removed.

With reference next to FIGS. 6-9 another preferred form of the inventionis shown as an extended run type glove bag. Here the apparatus 30 isseen to comprise an elongated, rectangular sheet of flexible,transparent, plastic material 31, although an end portion is shown cutaway in each figure for simplicity and clarity of illustration. A seriesor row of holes 32 is cut in the sheet midway between its elongated sideedges 33, spaced from the sheet ends 38. Again, debris collection anddisposal bags 34 of transparent, plastic construction are heat sealed,in tandem, to the sheet 31 about the holes 32. Gloves 36, a tool pouchand access ports 37 are mounted to the sheet 31 above each hole 32.

The apparatus 30 is mounted to a pipe P with jacketed insulation I asshown in FIG. 7 by bringing together elongated edges 33 of the sheet 31above the pipe and sealing them together with tape 37. The relativelyshort ends 38 of the sheet 31 are sealed to the insulation I with tape38. Tie lines 39 are then tied about the sheet 31 midway betweenadjacent holes 32 of lengths that are sufficiently short to elevate thebottom of the sheet between the holes above the holes but which aresufficiently long so that there is still substantial space between thesheet and insulated pipe all along the interior of the apparatus. Inthis manner the entire section of the pipe within the apparatus isaccessible for stripping. Also, with the opposite ends of the sheetdrawn and sealed to the insulation and with intermediate bottom portionsof the sheet drawn upwardly aside the holes 32, the sheet assumes theshape of an array of in tandem funnels as shown in FIG. 7.

With the apparatus mounted to the insulated pipe as shown in FIG. 7, theinsulation I may be stripped from the entire section of the Pipe P thatis inside the apparatus 30. This is shown being completed in FIG. 8. Thestripped lagging and water used to do this are funnelled from the upperwork section of the apparatus above the holes 32 into the debriscollection and storage bags 34. The bags are then sealed with tape 40and cut free from the sheet as shown being done in FIG. 9. The remainingupper work portion of the apparatus may then be removed.

Though the use of tie lines 39 is preferred in shaping the extended runversion into a series of funnels, such may also be done by gathering orbunching the sheet in these areas and then applying the tape 37. Ifdesired, the sheet 31 can have serrated or undulating edges 33 that arebrought together and taped to reduce bulk created by the avoid thegathering and bunching in those areas above the pipe.

It thus is seen that apparatuses for removing hazardous material from apipe are now provided of very simple and economic construction and whichmay be used in a highly efficient manner. It should however beunderstood that the two embodiments just described merely illustrateprinciples of the invention in its preferred forms and that manymodifications may be made thereto without departure from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for use in removing hazardous material from anelongated pipe, said apparatus having an upper work section comprised ofa sheet of flexible material of generally rectangular shape and having agenerally centrally located opening, a lower debris collection anddisposal bag that depends from said upper work section about saidopening, and gloves mounted to said upper work section, whereby uponwrapping and securing the upper work section about a pipe with oppositeends thereof drawn upwardly thereto aside the opening the work sectionis configured into the shape of a funnel for funneling debris workedfrom the pipe down into the debris collection and disposal bag.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said debris collection and disposal bag ismade of flexible material.
 3. Apparatus for use in removing hazardousmaterial from an elongated pipe, said apparatus having an upper workportion comprised of an elongated sheet of flexible material havingopposed side edges and having a plurality of openings in a row in saidsheet located generally midway between said opposed side edges; and alower debris collection and disposal portion comprised of a plurality ofbags that depend from said upper portion about said openings; supportmeans for supporting said upper work portion from a pipe and elevatingsaid upper work portion above said openings to configure said upperportion into the shape of a plurality of funnels, and a plurality ofgloves mounted to said upper work portion above said openings.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3 wherein said elongated sheet is substantiallyrectangular.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said bags are made offlexible material.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said supportmeans comprises a tie line of a length sufficient to be looped looselyabout the pipe.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said support meanscomprises a length of tape adopted to be placed on said elongated sheetabout the pipe.